A day in Kritipur

If you are in a bike then enter Kritipur through the TU gate. Ten minutes up the road, you will come to the only international cricket stadium in Nepal which is surprisingly well maintained although there are no stands for spectators. If you are interested in what Nepal’s largest university looks like, you can look around and no one will bother you. You will see long lines of newly made buildings and if it’s a weekday you will see students loitering around in the green fields. And on weekend’schildren and students can be seen stilising any free space as a cricket pitch.

Kirtipur was the first of the Valley’s kingdoms to be attacked by PrithiviNarayan Shah. The resolute inhabitants held out till 1768 after three fierce sieges by the Gorkhalis. Kirtipur’s glorious history come right down to the present times: the activism of its inhabitants and the nearby university ushered in democracy in 1990 and in to stand up against an autocratic monarchy.

When you reach te top of the hill, make sure you visit BaghBhairab temple, the gurdian god of Kirtipur. Up the hill is the UmaMaheshor temple, which at 1414 m is the highest point in Kirtipur. Although the temple itself is being renovated now, you will still get to see the sweeping view of the Valley and the mountains beyond. The sight of the Himalayas so close to the Valley is an absolute treat to the eyes.

If feasting your eyes on the Himlalays doesn’t feed the hunger in your stomach, you can check one of the open museum cum restaurant NawaLahana located nearby. It is also one of the open place to learn culture of Newars. Dishes like yomari, samayabaji and the locally made aila and thon along with Newari lifestyle will help you learn their inner culture

On the way you will be guided with HakuPatashi, cultural dress of Newars. After having seen Himalayas, having food, it wont take you more htan a day to get around Kirtipur, but memories of the visit will remain with you for a long time. Memories of the natives working with their traditional instruments and the clear view of all three towns and the mountain range will make a day in Kirtipur a day well spent.

An hour with a blogger

Blogging is famous these days. Everyone who have access to internet have their own blog. They run for various purposes, some of them run for the sake of letting their people know about them, some are doing just to share some of their inner feelings in the world wide web. Today, we are going to meet with one of the blogger who started his blogging career in a very different way. He is Anil Prasad Ghimire who is better known as “Aakar” in online medium. His blogs: “aakarpost” is famous mostly in Nepal. According to recent data published in web his blog is among the 150 other blogs which is visited daily. He has a visitor of almost 25 hundred daily.

When asked about his the beginning of his blogging he said he began blogging to share his assignments online. It has not been that long that he got started with. He says 4 years is not a very long time. According to him, blogging is place where you can write your point of view without going through any form of gate keeping. He is a undergraduate student in computer engineering, and still thinks anyone can be a blogger. It just needs a continuous posting and updates. Anyone with general access and knowledge of internet and website can be a good blogger.

Money is not the primary factor in blogging says 25 year old Anil when asked about money being the factor of problem in blogging or not ? Blogging is for free and it can be done with in a minute if anyone has a keen interest in it. If you are going to host yourself and want to take blogging in a professional way then small amount of money would be preferable.

When talked about his readers, he confesses that it all started with just 4 reader a day and it has been 4 years and now he has almost arounf 25 hundred visitors all around Nepal and outside as well. Social media like facebook, twitter and now Goolge plus helps his articles to get publicized. After he finishes posting in his website he share its link using this platform. He says these kind of new media help in promoting my blogs and I feel lucky to have one.

When we asked him “What did you get after blogging for so long time?” he comes up with a simple answer like “Identity”. It is though simple but has a heavy meaning. People from various fields know him around the globe. Along with that he get to know people so much. Every day he comes across new faces and new reader to tackle. Many times he has fought with his readers online as he could not make clear his point of view.

He is very positive about his site and blogging because he says it’s the way how people will get informed in later days.

Mainstream media have a lot of ethical issues and gatekeeping which a blog completely gives freedom of. So citizen journalism is what is he talking about with less point of editing your thoughts and more of giving what we feel from inside. Aakar is now famous world wide and he wants people to get engaged in something like that. To end his thought he said anything you do, put your hundred percent effort in it otherwise you will not get what you dreamed about. Blogging is a very unique yet strong field you need to think wise, write well and post it daily. Then blogs can also be your way to earn money.

Social effects of Advertising

The literary meaning of advertisement according to Encarta is "the public promotion of something such as a product, service, business, or event in order to attract or increase interest in it." Advertising is used to promote goods, services, images, and anything else that advertisers want to publicize. It is becoming a major part of mass media. At times, we may view it positively, at other times we may just skip or ignore it. In order to attract audience, advertisers use various techniques on their advertisement to make people aware of the firm's products, services, or brands. Although the methods used by advertisers are infinitely, they have a common goal to influence those who may become their customers to buy their products. An excellent advertisement will create a deep impression on its potential customers through particular techniques. The main function of an advertisement is to convey the reason for existence of a product and attract customers to buy. The word advertising is for communication only, whatever form it may be. Advertising is the only means of communicating with the masses and the word advertising is for communication only, whatever form it may be.

Sometimes the advertisers can make vague and ambiguous claims that may sound good. The most important factor in designing an Advertisement is that it should be addressed to a very well-defined target group to whom the product can be a good solution. People do not buy products; they buy solutions to their unaddressed problem. Hence, a good advertisement which presents the product as the solution to target groups is looking for, is very essential. It clearly implies that the advertisement should not over commit and should represent the problem and the solution very factually. "The advertising idea must be closely related to ideology of the targeted audience." (Salaimch, 2010)

Advertisements have many positive and negative effects which may not be noticed. The advertisement cost involves lot of money which comes from the customers. When the customers buy the products they pay for the products itself that includes the cost of production, packing, and developments. Here what is not known is the cost of advertisement. "It is logical to pay for the production and packing cost, but it is not understandable why the customers have to pay for the advertisement cost, which is hidden." (Advertising and its effect, 2011)

Ads will not really be negative, unless there may in some cases like the Red Bull ad where the content is quite derogatory where the man drinks Red Bull flies and opens his fly on top of the bird because the bird shat on him. That can be misleading because that is going too far with the tag for Red Bull. Condom advertisement cannot be misleading at all. The idea of showcasing an attractive couple and showing them in pleasure in fact encourages the use. Negative effects of ad would be when the communication is wrong, which seldom happens. It is really only in cases of Insurance advertisements, funds or generally speaking finances vertical advertisements. Keeping these hazards in mind even these corporate have started issuing a disclaimer immediately after the advertisements. "Cold drink companies are using aero stunts for their ads and also staking claim that the stunts are performed by qualified experts and hence not to be done by normal unqualified people." (25 Advertisements, 2007)

As we all know ads are those which are created for the attractiveness of the customers to increase sales. Nowadays the ads are not perfect and clear and not at all informative to the end users. The negative effects of ads are as follows:

Less Informative: The advertisements are less informative in case of the ingredients. They also lack in showing the cost, taste and quality of the product. On the basis of any model who acts in an advertisement no one can actually get the idea about the product. Similarly most of the advertisements do not show their side effect. Not every product is good for health; there are products which could have multiple malfunctioning to the human body itself. But, advertising agency and producers do not take much attention to these issues. Advertising should always focus on putting people at the heart of policy, communications and delivery to encourage behavior change. (Social Advertising in India, 2009)

• Degradation of Advertisement: When we talk about recent advertisements, we can see that they are done for the sake of being advertised for the company which manufactures the products. There is nothing as such called natural and which can grab audience's attention. Sometimes they are catchy because they are humorous. That makes sense but when we see advertisements which have no practical meaning but still hit the market just because of the brand names being used.

• Emotional feelings: Sometimes we come across advertisements which touch the feelings of human beings. Even there are numerous advertisements which sometimes cause harm to the human beings and affects the children more than others. Advertisements which are to children can be a good example here. When children are continuously prompted with advertisements of cigarettes, drinks then they are very interested to know what is inside it and want to try. So such things should be kept in mind when making advertisements.

Sometimes, with a view to attract the customers, the companies need to set trends and create images that customers will follow. After having established these, the customers have become addicted to the products which may not be needed for them. Today the adv conditioning and trend setting, judgments are made on what kind of clothes, shampoo, kitchen cleaner they use and not on who we really are. This leads to social discrimination and emotional insecurity. Hence the customers have to spend to be accepted. Advertisements are made in spirit of blind over consumerism without a soul. They should always be careful about the misleading advertisements. Social issues in advertisement have been the major concern of most of the general public. We should consider ourselves, our society and mostly the young minds that are continuously televised with so many advertisements through the learning means also. Strong rules and regulations should be implemented regarding showcase of advertisements in any form of media.

Bibliography

25 Advertisements. (2007). Business Studies , 64. 65.

Advertising and its effect. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2011, from www.radessays.com: http://www.radessays.com/viewpaper/45343/Advertising_and_its_Effects.html

Salaimch, F. a.-S. (2010). The Effect of Television Advertisement on the behavior of Caned Food Can Food Consumer in Small Industries. European Journal of Social Sciences , 335.

Social Advertising in India. (2009, September 19). Article Base .

RESEARCH ON SOCIAL EFFECTS OF SOCIAL NETOWRKING SITES FOCUSING ON FACEBOOK

Abstract

Social network sites are increasingly attracting the attention of academic and industry researchers intrigued by their affordances and reach. In this research article, we will describe features of social networking sites and give a brief discussion on the social effects of it focusing especially on facebook.

Introduction

Since their introduction, social network sites (SNSs) such as MySpace, Facebook, Cyworld, and Bebo have attracted millions of users, many of whom have integrated these sites into their daily practices. As of this writing, there are hundreds of SNSs, with various technological affordances, supporting a wide range of interests and practices. While their key technological features are fairly consistent, the cultures that emerge around SNSs are varied. Most sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but others help strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities. Some sites cater to diverse audiences, while others attract people based on common language or shared racial, sexual, religious, or nationality-based identities. Sites also vary in the extent to which they incorporate new information and communication tools, such as mobile connectivity, blogging, and photo/video-sharing.

Social Network Sites: Discussion

We define social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and negotiate their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and classification of these connections may vary from site to site.

What makes social network sites unique is not that they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks. Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have implemented a wide variety of technical features, their backbone consists of visible profiles that display an articulated list of Friends who are also users of the system. Profiles are unique pages where one can "type oneself into being". After joining an SNS, an individual is asked to fill out forms containing a series of questions. The profile is generated using the answers to these questions, which typically include descriptors such as age, location, interests, and an "about me" section. Most sites also encourage users to upload a profile photo. Some sites allow users to enhance their profiles by adding multimedia content or modifying their profile's look and feel. Others, such as Facebook, allow users to add modules ("Applications") that enhance their profile. The label for these relationships differs depending on the site—popular terms include "Friends," "Contacts," and "Fans." Most SNSs require bi-directional confirmation for Friendship, but some do not. Most SNSs also provide a mechanism for users to leave messages on their Friends' profiles. This feature typically involves leaving "comments", sending applications, playing games, chatting and many other entertaining features.

Negative effects of Facebook

Facebook has quickly become one of the most popular social networking websites on the internet. These days it's not only available on our computer but through most mobile devices like cell phones and 'I-Phones'. And like all things that become so popular, it has developed some downsides. Here are just some of the negative effects of using Facebook .

Facebook is quite addictive. Once you get started you'll find yourself checking it everyday if not more. You'll be quickly hooked on reading all of your friend's updated status messages and trying to come up with interesting ones to post for yourself. Everyday Facebook will recommend 'people you may know' as possible friends to connect with as you spend hours going through the list looking for old high school friends or former sweethearts from past romances. Then there are all the pictures. You'll be uploading pictures of yourself, your family, your kids, your dog, your car, etc. almost every day. Then you have to spend time adding witty and descriptions to the pictures and tag all the faces of your friends all while deciding which picture should be your default picture for today. You'll also spend hours looking at all of your friends' pictures too, leaving fun and entertaining comments for them and others to read.

One of the most addictive things on Facebook is all of the games that are available. From bowling against your friends to starting your own mob; there are literally hundreds of game applications for your Facebook account. You'll find yourself spending hours upon hours playing games against your friends instead of doing your work or spending time with your family. To say Facebook is addictive is an understatement.

Another negative effect of Facebook is how accessible it makes you. Once you have signed up for a Facebook account you have made yourself completely exposed to the world. Anyone who wants to find out anything about you will be able to find it on Facebook . If you have exes who are trying to find you, or people in your life who want to stalk you or intimidate you, they'll have easy access to do it through Facebook . Maybe you have some old friends who you don't want to talk to anymore or someone you owe money to. Facebook helps these people find you sometimes with little effort.

Facebook can also affect you when trying to join a club or finding a new job. Many organizations and business now include social networking sites like Facebook in their background checks of potential members and employees. They'll be able to see all of your information, your age, location, whether or not you're employed somewhere else. If you're a fan of questionable type things like drugs, alcohol or pornography they might learn about it through Facebook . They'll also know if you are married or single and if you have kids or not. Plus they'll be judging you by looking at all of your pictures posted by you and friends. And if you have questionable pictures of yourself perhaps scantily dressed or involved in unprofessional things like parties and such, it could make or break you with that organization. Unfortunately most people don't realize that Facebook opens up our identity to millions of people and some of these people may use what they find against us.

The other negative effect, as with many websites online, is identity theft. Sometimes Facebook users provide too much personal information in their profiles and expert thieves can use this information to steal your identity. Listing your age, birth date, address, location, occupation, and other personal information can sometimes be all it takes for one of these deceitful people to take advantage of you. In some cases Facebook uses provide information without even realizing it. Simple things like a picture that has your car's license plate in it or posting a status message saying that you'll be on vacation for the next week; an invitation for burglars to rob your house. You need to be very careful with what the information you allow others to see on your Facebook page. If you do it right and keep these things in mind, you'll find Facebook to be a safe and fun place to stay in touch with friends.

"Words can't describe me", is how Adnan Patrawala, 16 yr old teenager from Mumbai, India had described himself on his Orkut profile. However, his kidnappers and murderers got to know a little more of him and ensnared him into a trap which ultimately led to the death of the young boy. This is perhaps an extreme example of the social impact of these social networking sites such as Orkut, Facebook, MySpace and Friendster on today's youth. But there is no denying its presence or its effects in our lives and minds today.

Often these days when we make new friends we do not ask, "What's your number?" Or "What's your email id?" Instead we ask, "What's your MySpace"? or "Are you on Orkut?" Such is the impact of these sites on our lives .The way we speak, the way we interact and the way we think is changing. Words such as scrapping, blogging, teasers which a few years back wouldn't have made any sense to anybody; but today it's being used with so much spontaneity.

As a matter of fact, Google even has links to sites, which gives the world's most popular acronyms. It is amusing but that is the way it is.

However, these sites fulfill a very basic criterion of humans. It is that of communication. People living in extreme corners of the world are seen to be getting married, friends from far-off places are able to keep in touch with each other and lovers from two parts of the world stay connected with each other's emotional needs. These help us make new friends, stay in touch with the old ones and let us know more about the persons we care... their likes, dislikes, interests and emotions.

There is an element of addictiveness in these sites and the youth are indeed getting endeared more and more into this addiction. The most appealing thing among these sites is that they provide a platform for the individuals to express their views, gives them the freedom of choice and expression... from anti-war campaigns to global warming issues, from Harry potter fan clubs to Osama bin Laden hate clubs there is everything for everyone to share and speak about.

What else could be more appealing than the thought of being heard not just by your group of friends but to the whole wide world. And that is where I feel these sites are here to stay. It just emphasizes the fact that man is a social being and shall always remain so.

References

Acquisti, A., & Gross, R. (2006). Imagined communities: Awareness, information sharing, and privacy on the Facebook. In P. Golle & G. Danezis (Eds.), Proceedings of 6th Workshop on Privacy Enhancing Technologies (pp. 36-58). Cambridge, UK: Robinson College.

Benzie, R. (2007, May 3). Facebook banned for Ontario staffers. The Star. Retrieved July 21, 2007 fromhttp://www.thestar.com/News/article/210014

Chafkin, M. (2007, June). How to kill a great idea! Inc. Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2007 fromhttp://www.inc.com/magazine/20070601/features-how-to-kill-a-great-idea.html

Major points to remember in Media system in India

Political system: Democratic republic with bicameral multiparty parliamentary system.

Cultural system: Multi ethnic, multi lingual, multi religious, pluralistic society.

Economic system: Free market and monopoly. Movie industry:2^nd largest source of Income.

Media ownership: media houses controlled by typical family class of india.

Television: 1400 tv station, 4^th largest TV station around the world. Ramayana, Mahabharata telecasted in tv.

Radio: Initiated in 1924, 312 radio stations (AM/FM), Air Rainbow FM is one of the most earning fm in India. (It earns 2.5 - 7.5 Crores per year)

Print media: Established: 1780, 2^nd largest market in the world (on the basis of distribution 60-65 million per day), 4 major publishing groups. (3285- newspapers, including 252 in English)

Magazine- 100's of audience interest magazines, 3 dozen political magazines.

Online: 81,000,000 internet users. 11^th largest country that uses broadband.

Film Industry: Biggest film industry of world (Bollywood), 100 movies per year, 2 movies per day, multi language movies.

Advertising: Started in 1875, N.W. Ayer and son – First ad agency to get space in print media.

News agencies: 40 domestic agencies. (eg. Press Trust of India, United news of india)

Music Industry: Established 1907 – Gramophone, Film music is dominated, 4 dozen music industry.

Summary :The media in India represents a confluence of paradoxes: tradition and modernity; anarchy and order; diversity and unity; conflict and cooperation; news and views; feudalism and democracy; the free market and monopoly.

Economic realities and relationships between press, television and those who own these engines of control and change will eventually determine the future of India's communication culture. India's complex cultural mosaic, especially linguistic and communal, strengthens its diversity. The media and press continue to play a dominant role in deconstructing the diversity discourse that sometimes flares up in explosive situations.

Capitalism, the press, and public hunger for news promote a culture of media that is fast replacing the legacy of a feudal/colonial system. While corporatization and state regulations can muffle free expression, the force of public interest and the market economy strive for greater freedom and openness. Both politics and capitalism thrive on the liberties of a democratic system that continues to evolve into a functional hybrid of chaos and order.

Did Kathmandu University open?

April 3^rd, Sunday

Kathmandu University got padlocked for around 30 days and now finally the normal studies have commenced from today. Within this 30 days of long padlock there have been too much of ups and downs which are not normal to the university. Election of the Students Welfare Council which took place in the central campus on March 1^st leads to result of tie between two panels and it created all the problem. Both the panels padlocked one after the other having been not satisfied with the decision of the administration. While the padlock was going on students from the neutral section had organized various informative and pressurizing movements against the KU administration. Some of the events were signature campaign, pamphlets and rally. This was not given much importance until a huge mass gathered around the administration building and shouted slogans against all the politically active party in KU. After the event the students themselves declared Kathmandu University as Bandh and politically free zone. But, due to the situation of the country no single neutral side can work against the politics. There have been again disturbances demanding their quotas and seats for undergraduate, graduate programs and jobs inside Kathmandu University.